Iran has prohibited two International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts from entering its territory, ISNA news agency quoted on Monday head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi as saying.
Salehi said the IAEA staff members, who were due to conduct regular inspections on Iran's nuclear facilities, had been prohibited from entering the Islamic Republic for spreading "false information" about Iran's nuclear program.
The two experts "presented false reports on Iran's activities in nuclear sphere ..., released the information before it had been officially reviewed, and gave false information to the media," Salehi said.
The identities of the IAEA experts were not disclosed.
The move comes in retaliation to the adoption in early June of a new set of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.
International pressure on Iran increased in early February when Tehran announced it had begun enriching uranium to 20% in lieu of an agreement on an exchange that would provide it with fuel for a research reactor.
The Iranian, Brazilian, and Turkish foreign ministers agreed on May 17 that Iran will swap in Turkey most of its 3.5%-enriched uranium for 20%-enriched fuel for use in its Tehran scientific research reactor, however, this did not prevent the adoption of further sanctions.
MOSCOW, June 21 (RIA Novosti)
